Break
by QuikSylver
Summary: FE: Radiant Dawn. Naesala is ordered to take a vacation by the Apostle. Leanne invites him to visit Serenes. Who can say what will happen there? Slash, Tibarn x Naesala. Rating for language. MOVED TO MY NEW ACCOUNT, Pineapple Fetish.
1. Break In 01 03

_**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Fire Emblem or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction.**_

Pairing: NaesalaTibarn (Hm, I wonder if it would be obvious if I didn't write this? Oh well.) Maybe some others, but probably not.

Warning(s): A word. There is... a swear word in this fanfiction, and there will probably be others. (Oh my goodness!) O:

"Word," signifies speaking

"_Word,_" signifies Leanne speaking in the old language (I forget what it's called o.o')

_Word_ signifies thought or emphasis

* * *

He hated himself, sometimes. He'd only wanted to aid his country… and had ended up doing more harm, not only to his clan, but the bird tribe as a whole; the only clan he _hadn't_ slaughtered was the herons (they'd already been slaughtered when he'd become king)… And, let's be truthful, he _had_ sold Reyson to that Begnion senator, once. Taking the then thought to be only surviving child of Lorazieh from Tibarn's ever vigilant guard… Tibarn had been the one to harbour the beleaguered clan, even though he had been the one who was friends with Reyson and Leanne…

Ebon-feathered wings rustled in irritation. Enough of this useless contemplation. Sometimes, though… Sometimes it was hard to get up in the morning, serving as a mediator for beorc-laguz disputes as Begnion stumbled along in its integration efforts. It wasn't that he disliked the work, but that it all just seemed hopeless to him. The memories of his dead people, and the slaughter of the hawks…

Naesala, the former King of the raven nation Kilvas, slammed his fist against the wall of his small house in frustration. That was all in the past now. All he could do was attempt to atone for his misdeeds, nothing more and nothing less. At least he could try to make this world a better place for the surviving bird laguz.

He glanced in the mirror as he passed, fixing the strand of sapphire hair that had somehow managed to go awry, and adjusted his shirt. His outfit remained the same as it had when he had still been King; laguz seldom changed their appearance, aging slowly and changing slowly. Beorc were opposite changing clothing and aging at a startling rate.

The raven quickly looked out the window, checking the time; he was late, as usual. Naesala sighed; it looked like it was going to rain too. He hated rain.

"…Might as well go," he muttered, snatching the house key from its place on the table. He'd tossed it there the night before, after coming in from another day of solving petty beorc and laguz disputes. "Empress'll probably be mad enough at me anyway." Yesterday he'd gotten so annoyed with the two arguing factions that he'd cracked the heads of the two leaders together and told them to get over it; it hadn't gone over well though, and he imagined Empress Sanaki would probably assign him to the same dispute again.

Stepping out of the small cottage, he made sure to lock the door behind him. He lived about a mile out from Sienne, and flew in to the Mainel Cathedral everyday to receive his latest assignment from Sanaki, whom he now served.

As his body shifted from humanoid to bird, he felt the first drops of rain fall on his head. "Just great," he complained, quickly taking wing. He arrived at the Cathedral about fifteen minutes later, reverting to human form as he landed on the top steps. Used to his face, the guards ushered him into the chapel and he was admitted to see Sanaki not five minutes later.

"Naesala," said the violet-haired girl, a hint of displeasure in her voice. Naesala grimaced, bracing himself for the telling off he was about to receive from a girl of only fourteen - never mind that she was Apostle and Empress of one of the most powerful nations on Tellius. He idly wondered how he would have turned out if he'd been raised as the future ruler of a country since he was capable of cognizant thought, then shooed the idea away as absurd; laguz based their rulers upon power, not blood.

"Empress," he replied coolly. He refused to give her the satisfaction of drawing him out.

"Don't take that tone with her," Sigrun, commander of the Holy Knights, scolded.

"Sigrun…" Sanaki murmured, and the Seraph Knight fell silent, looking irritated. She disliked the raven's attitude, but he wasn't about to change, and couldn't have cared less what she thought. He admitted that Sanaki's opinion of him counted for something, but she was about the only beorc whose thoughts mattered to him anyway.

"I've asked Zihark to attempt to repair the damage you caused in the town," Sanaki said at length. "I think you need a break, you've looked tired and acted irritated for quite some time now," she added. "Take a few weeks, maybe a month off and come back."

"…No thanks; I don't need a break, I feel fine," Naesala lied. In truth, he certainly hadn't been feeling his best, and was actually quite depressed, but he certainly wasn't going to admit that or talk about his problems to some girl who was a tenth of his age.

Sanaki frowned. "Go visit Serenes; Leanne's been asking after you, and I know Nealuchi is concerned about you," she told him gently.

"Leanne?" His eyebrows rose. "That's nice. What've you told her?" He tried not to betray his interest, but doubted it was working very well. His heart seemed to lift at the very mention of the heron princess, and he was a little disgusted with himself for it.

"I said you were fine and doing a good job… But really, you should go visit," Sanaki said firmly.

"Nah. I'll probably just mess it up and make them angrier at me," he replied, inadvertently speaking his true thoughts. That was what kept him away: the fear that he would spoil the fragile paradise that had been created, and end up hurting those he cared about even more.

"Hmph. Stubborn crow. Just do as your told, for once. Take a vacation somewhere," Sanaki retorted. "Just being around you makes me feel depressed. Do yourself - and everyone - some good, raven."

"Isn't that my _job_?" he pointed out. "I settle arguments and civil complaints to help the integration." Sanaki was starting to become annoyed, he could tell, but Naesala didn't stop. "Besides… I already said, I don't want a break."

The Empress scowled at him from her throne. "I've had enough of your childish protests, Naesala. I don't want to see you moping around here for at least two weeks! Don't come back until you've grown up or gotten over whatever's got your feathers ruffled!" she snapped, golden eyes flashing. He could only imagine what she would be like as an adult - formidable and beautiful, he guessed.

"Fine, fine," he retorted. "I'm gone."

He turned and stalked out of the hall, shoving past startled guards and into the soaking street. The storm was in full swing, and his initial forecast of 'rain' was a bit off. It was incredibly windy, and every so often there was a flash of lightning, accompanied by the resounding crescendo of thunder. The streets, usually packed, were nearly empty.

He contemplated going to a bar, but doubted one would be open this early, and he had no desire to make a fool of himself before a bunch of beorc. Despite what he had said, Naesala did feel he needed a break, although he had no intention of coming within ten miles of the Serenes forest. He wouldn't have minded seeing Nealuchi and the herons, but he'd no doubt cross paths with Tibarn and his two captains, something he didn't feel like he had the energy for.

Heaving a resigned sigh, he stepped out from under the eaves of the Cathedral and shifted in raven form, allowing the wind to carry him to his house. _At least the wind's helping me out_, he thought. Regardless, he was still sodden when he landed brusquely in front of his door. He extracted the key from his pocket (his clothes were soaked, of course) and shoved it in the lock, only to find that the door wasn't locked. Frowning, he entered cautiously, shaking excess water from his wings and trying not to shiver. Someone had started a fire in the hearth as well. He shook his head and squeezed as much water as he could out of his hair, wondering who it was. Nothing was out of place, and if whomever had broken in had had a malicious intent, he thought they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of starting a fire. Then again, they could have known that he was always gone during the day and usually didn't arrive home until past nightfall…

The raven heard a sound coming from down the hall, inside one of the two bedrooms. The house was small, two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting area, a bathroom and little else. "Who's there?" he called out wearily, making his way down the hall.

"_Naesala!_" came a familiar voice, and Leanne appeared from the door of the second bedroom.

"Oh, hello Leanne," he said, blinking in surprise. "What… how did you get here? Did Nealuchi bring you…?"

"_Nope!_" she chirped happily, giving him a hug.

"…Then who?" he asked, returning the gesture awkwardly. He wasn't a huggy sort of person. "How did you find out where I lived?"

"_I wanted to know,_" she explained, smiling at him. That was no answer, but he couldn't quite focus when she was smiling like that. She took a step back. "_Why did you pick such a dreary location?_"

"I- Hey, don't change the subject. Who brought you?" Naesala frowned slightly, running a hand through his damp hair. "I need to change," he mumbled absently, looking around. "Were you the one who started the fire?"

"_Nope. Tibarn did. We came to visit you…_"

Naesala didn't heard anything past the third word. _Tibarn_ was _here_?! Of all the people, the hawk king, and now king of the united bird tribe, was one of the last the raven wanted to see.

"_Naesala? Are you even listening?_" Leanne asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hn- Yeah. Of course."

"_I doubt it. You didn't look like you were listening._"

"Okay, so I wasn't. Sorry. Where's Tibarn now?"

"_Oh! He's in your bedroom, I think. We were exploring,_" Leanne explained.

"…Right." Naesala felt an eyebrow twitch. He wanted to run and check that his room was unscathed, but Leanne was standing his way. "Why did you feel the need to, ah, explore?"

"Leanne was curious," Tibarn said, emerging from his bedroom. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning casually against the wall and studied the other man calmly.

Naesala scowled. "Thanks for dropping in unannounced," he said dryly, turning around to escape the hawk's scrutiny. "Would you like something to eat? I'm afraid I don't have much variety; I usually eat on the job."

"_Reyson wanted to come too, but he said he had to stay behind with Father_," Leanne remarked. "_Do you have any tea? It's pretty cold, even with the fire._"

"Tea it is," Naesala replied, walking past the small pantry - empty, of course. All the food he had was either stored in the cupboards, or kept in the cold room below ground. He opened the cupboard beside the window and pulled out a small container of tea leaves. He pulled several out and dropped them in the kettle, once he'd filled it in the water barrel beside the door before setting it above the fire. The small sitting room - if you could call the small space a room - had two wooden chairs and an ottoman - chairs with backs were just uncomfortable to bird laguz. He took one of the wooden chairs, sitting on the very edge of the seat so his wings wouldn't be crushed.

Tibarn took the other, and Leanne perched on the ottoman, chattering on about the state of things in Serenes, and about her visit to Crimea, and then about seeing Empress Sanaki…

Naesala nodded, occasionally offering an agreement or something of the like, but he became increasingly aware of the hawk king's eyes on him, and had to resist the urge to look at him out of the corner of his eye. _What's his problem?_ the raven thought, becoming increasingly irritated and distracted. When the kettle started to whistle, he almost jumped to his feet in relief. He took it off and walked into the kitchen, settling it on the counter and opening another cupboard.

"…I don't have any mugs or teacups, I hope that's all right," he called.

"_It's fine!_" Leanne chimed back. She was talking to Tibarn about some insect she had seen yesterday.

He took two steaming hot glasses of tea to his guests, handing Tibarn his wordlessly, then gave Leanne hers before returning to get his own.

"_Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot. How come you're home so early? I thought Janaff said you worked all day?_" Leanne asked, sipping her tea.

Naesala coughed a little, covering his surprise. "Janaff?" He looked at Tibarn for an explanation. Well, glared at him, anyway.

Leanne looked worried. "_I didn't mean to say that…_"

"Why, you didn't want me to know that I was being monitored?" Naesala demanded, irritated.

"_No, Naesala, you don't understand, it's just that--_"

"Never mind, you don't have to explain," he snapped, angry and hurt. "I _understand_ completely."

Leanne flinched and looked away, staring into her glass of tea.

"I had Janaff look for you," Tibarn said, a little coldly. "Leanne was quite upset when you up and left, and even Nealuchi didn't know where you were staying, so I had him search for you." His tone left no confusion about his opinion on the whole matter.

"…Sorry about my outburst," Naesala muttered, now the one who was looking into his glass of tea. "Work's been… less than excellent, and I'm usually not my best when it rains…"

"_Oh! You're still wearing your soggy clothes!_" Leanne exclaimed. She seemed to have forgiven him for snapping at her. He was grateful; he disliked hurting any of the herons, but Leanne especially. "_I forgot- You should go change._"

Tibarn set his empty glass on the small coffee table and rose. He walked over to the window, staring out. Although it probably wasn't even midday, it was so dark that it could have been night.

"…Yeah, okay," Naesala muttered, clearing his throat. "I'll be right back."

Leanne smiled at him as he hurried to his room.

When he got there, he was a little surprised to see that nothing was out of place. Maybe just a bit disappointed too, because he half wanted to start an argument with the proud hawk, but mostly relieved. He quickly shed his soggy clothes, draping them over a small stool near the window to dry, noticing with pleasure that the rain was letting up some.

He shook out his hair and wandered over to the dresser, but upon opening a drawer, found it in total disarray. It looked as if the topmost shirt had been shoved back in with haste, as it was all crumpled atop a pile of neatly folded others that were identical to it in every way.

"…" The former raven King stared at it blankly. He knew he hadn't put the shirt in like that, but then who? Leanne? Possibly.

With a shrug, he pulled it out, giving it a shake and then checking to see if it was wrinkled. It hadn't been like that long enough for that to happen though, so he quickly put it on. He was fully dressed in about a minute, and back out the door before long.

---

"_You should talk to him too,_" the heron princess told Tibarn once she heard the door down the hall close. "_After all, you're the one who wanted to come see him._"

"I had to check up on him," Tibarn replied shortly, not turning from the window. The rain was beginning to let up, and the thunder and lightning had stopped long ago. "If he was up to his old ways…"

"_You know he only did the things he did to benefit his people, even if it didn't always turn out that way in the end,_" Leanne reminded him. "_And after what happened… He was quite guilty, even if he didn't show it, you know._"

Tibarn turned, opening his mouth to reply, but at that moment they both heard the door open and the hawk shut his mouth, turning back to the window.

"_Naesala, you still haven't answered me,_" Leanne said once he had sat down in the wooden chair once more. "_How come you're home? I thought you worked all day, at least that's what Apostle Sanaki told me when Nealuchi and I went to see her._"

"…She ordered me to take a break," Naesala muttered. "Said I was depressing her, or something like that."

"_Oh good! Then you can come visit,_" Leanne said decisively. "_Let's go._"

"Hold on, that's what Sanaki said too," Naesala said sourly. "Are you two plotting or something?"

Leanne looked back at him with such innocence that he couldn't tell if it was a mask or not. "_Please? Reyson will be happy to see you, and Nealuchi too! Not to mention all the other ravens! They still talk about you, Naesala. They thought you were a good ruler, despite what you might think._"

"No thanks, I'll pass," he said, shrugging. "I-" He stopped mid-sentence and sneezed loudly. "…Catching a cold," he muttered sourly.

"_See? Staying here is bad for you. You should come visit,_" Leanne said triumphantly.

"Your logic doesn't make sense to me," he informed her. "It could have started to rain and I could have caught a cold anywhere," he pointed out.

"You should come," Tibarn said, turning around. "I think it would hearten the ravens. They do miss you, and I think they would be happy if they saw your face."

"Just the ravens though," Naesala replied, not meeting his eyes. He picked up his now-cold tea and took a sip. "I'm…"

"_And the herons!_" Leanne interrupted, somewhat indignant.

"…sure most of the hawks still hate my guts."

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Tibarn finally said, "Regardless, they can understand - to some extent - why you… took such action." He grimaced; it was obvious he himself had yet to forget the massacre, but who could blame him, really? Certainly not Naesala.

"Besides, you… look tired. Like you could use a break," Tibarn added.

Naesala sighed. "The last thing I need it concern from you," he told the hawk. "But it doesn't look like you guys are going to stop bugging me until I concede… And I have been ordered not to show my face to the apostle for at least two weeks…"  
Leanne smiled happily. "_Great! We can leave right now--_" As if on cue, a bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a resounding crash of thunder not a moment later, and the rain poured down harder, almost drowning out the crackling of the fire.

"…Or maybe not right now," Naesala suggested. "When this storm lets up."

"_Yes…_" Leanne sighed. "_I hope it's not storming over Serenes; Father hates storms._" She looked out the window, a worried expression on her usually carefree face.

Tibarn shifted, then returned to his chair. "What do you do… to pass the time?" he asked, looking around.

"I'm usually working," Naesala replied, shrugging. "…I do have some books though, but I'm not sure any of them would interest you two- Hey, what's that look for?" he demanded; Tibarn was staring at him with a shocked expression on his face. "I bet you couldn't read a book to save your life!" he snapped defensively, immediately falling back on his old habit of saying the most offensive thing that came to mind to his old rival.

Tibarn's face shifted to a frown. "I was thinking the same thing about you," he retorted. "You probably wouldn't be able to hold on to a book long enough to open it - it would already be sold, for the _profit_ of the raven nation, just like you sold Reyson!"

Naesala sprang to his feet angrily. "If I hadn't done that, no one would have found Leanne-"

"Falling back on that old excuse?" Tibarn sneered, getting to his feet as well. "The mantra's getting old, crow!"

"_Stop!_" Leanne cried, looking close to tears. Both males stopped immediately, looking contrite. She rushed past, into the second, unoccupied bedroom.

"…Damn," Naesala muttered, falling back into his uncomfortable chair. He swore again and sat on the coffee table instead. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I always just end up hurting the people I care about, the ones I would never want to hurt…" He put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, not caring that the hawk king could see everything he did.

The raven heard Tibarn take a seat on his left, but didn't bother giving any reaction. The coffee table creaked a little in protest; it probably wasn't made to take the weight of an adult beorc, much less two large laguz males. Naesala nearly smiled, wondering why the idea seemed so amusing to him.

"You should go after her," he remarked at length, his voice muffled slightly by his hands.

"…Maybe. But she only gets angry," Tibarn replied. "She'd probably tell me that I should apologize and don't come back until I do. Which is totally reasonable."

"I should probably apologize too," Naesala agreed quietly.

"Yes. …What about those books you were talking about?"

Naesala raised his head and gave the hawk king a long stare. Only half of his face was illuminated, since the fire was the only source of light, but the expression on Tibarn's face was expressionless, his golden ((couldn't find any clears pictures of his eye color; if it's wrong, tell me please)) eyes unreadable.

"Well, they're mostly…" Naesala stopped mid-sentence. Oh Goddess, he_couldn't_ show Tibarn the sorts of books he kept around the house. "I'll, uh, go get you one." He quickly stood and started for his bedroom, hoping Tibarn hadn't seen the titles on his bookshelf. Unfortunately, Tibarn followed him and Naesala panicked a little. About halfway down the hall, he started coughing, and although it started out fake, it quickly became actual coughs.

"…You all right?" Tibarn asked from about two paces behind him. "I can just pick one myself-"

"No," Naesala said, managing to quell his coughing. "I'll just… get you one. Stay here."

"Well, now I'm curious. First your reaction in the front room, and then you dissolve into coughing… Fake at first, that was fairly obvious, you know," Tibarn told him, sounding slightly amused. "Although they did sound real near the end," he added more seriously. "Are you actually catching a cold?" He took a step forward, but Naesala couldn't see his face.

"I'm fine," he snapped, feeling uncomfortable, but he took an involuntary step back.

Tibarn continued advancing, until the two were in front of the door to his bedroom. Naesala could feel his cheeks heating, and was glad that the light of the fire didn't extend this far down the hall, in case Tibarn took his flushed cheeks for a blush. Which it most definitely was _not_.

"Well?" Tibarn took another step forward, into Naesala's space, so that they were almost touching, and he was reminded that he was shorter than the hawk, if only by a margin (he came up to his eyebrows), but the raven didn't budge.

"No way in hell am I going to let you back in my room," he promised.

"Oh? All your attempts to divert me are just making me more interested… Do you have some smutty comics or something…?"

"Comics?" Naesala bristled. "Don't insult me by thinking I read the same stuff you do."

"Oh?" Tibarn leaned in, and in the dim light, the raven could see a smirk pulling at the hawk's lips. Naesala leaned back but didn't retreat any more. The other man was so close that the raven could feel his soft breath against his face - definitely _not_ a place he wanted to be in. "You didn't deny the smutty part, you know," he remarked, straightening so abruptly that Naesala staggered back - and Tibarn brushed past him, immediately going for his bookshelf.

"H-hey!" the former King protested, grabbing the other's arm. "Do you mind?! I thought behaviour like this was supposed to be found only in ravens!"

Tibarn turned so swiftly that Naesala flinched. "What kind of lame excuse is that?" he growled, sounding annoyed.

"W-well, didn't you see the books when you were in here before?" Naesala managed to retort.

"If it's that important to you…" He felt Tibarn shrug, and the hawk king started to walk away. The raven blinked, not expecting the other to give up so easily. "Would you mind letting go of my arm? I didn't think you were the clingy type…"

Naesala jerked his hands away, irritated. "I wouldn't have been holding your arm if you hadn't been being such an ass," he replied caustically.

"Don't confuse me with yourself," the hawk king replied airily, continuing out the door and into the hall. "Oh, look, the storm's letting up." He knocked gently on the door of the spare bedroom as he passed. "Leanne, we can go soon," he said.

The door opened and Leanne stepped out, looking considerably less upset. "_Okay, we should get started as soon as the rain stops,_" she decided.

"All right," Naesala agreed, glad that the book crisis had been avoided. If Tibarn had seen one… It didn't even bear to be thought about. Or if Leanne had, for that matter. He wasn't quite sure which would have been worse, and was glad that the situation hadn't presented itself.

Still somewhat off balance, Naesala collected the glasses, dumping the extra tea back into the kettle; he'd dispose of it later. Maybe. If he felt like it. He was still fairly dazed, but at least his cheeks felt like they weren't burning any more. He dropped the cups in the small bin that he used to clean his dishes and went to sit down again.

Leanne was once more perched on the ottoman, and Tibarn was pacing in front of the window. He seemed eager to leave, for some reason. The sky outside was lightening, and the sun was shining through the dark clouds in some places. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, and the raven could hear birds singing in the trees outside his house.

"_Naesala,_" Leanne said, "_do you like this place?_"

"…It suits my purposes," he replied, shrugging. "Close enough to the capital, but still outside of Sienne itself. And it's not like I need a huge place," the raven added, sitting on the coffee table once more. It creaked ominously, and Naesala wondered how much longer the small table would hold out.

"_But do you __**like **__it here, Naesala?_" Leanne persisted. She was so stubborn, just like Reyson. _Why can't they be more like Rafiel? _he wondered.

"I like my job," Naesala answered shortly, shifting a little. He really needed to get better furniture, deciding he would do so once he came back from his forced break.

"_You're avoiding the question!_" Leanne said, starting to become irritated. "_Why can't you come live with us in Serenes?_"

"…Do we have to talk about this right now?" Naesala mumbled, coughing again.

"_Fine, but when we get to Serenes, I will convince you to stay,_" Leanne promised fiercely.

"I don't doubt it," the raven muttered.

"The rain's stopped," Tibarn remarked, going over to the door. As the hawk opened it, a cool breeze wafted in, chilling Naesala. It brought the scent of rain and dampness, and he felt refreshed, somewhat. The raven rose and picked up the half-full kettle from the counter, grabbing the house key from the table as he returned to the sitting area. He dumped the remainder of the tea on the dying fire, then left, locking the door behind him.

Leanne was waiting for him, smiling cheerfully. Tibarn raised an eyebrow. "What's with the dopey expression?" he asked, spreading his wings.

Naesala scowled at the hawk, but didn't deign to reply. He had decided he would ignore the hawk king for the remainder of his reluctant journey to Serenes. He shifted into raven form and was in the air with three swift, powerful beats of his blue-black wings. Leanne followed a moment later, and then Tibarn, the three laguz quickly leaving the small house behind them.

"_It's nice to have the wind behind us,_" Leanne remarked. She was the one setting the pace; Naesala and Tibarn could easily have gone faster, but stayed with the heron princess.

_She's probably the only reason we haven't torn each other apart yet_, Naesala reflected. If a bird's beak could have permitted a smile, he probably would have grinned.

"We should get to Serenes in about an hour," Tibarn replied. "I wonder how Reyson's coping? We've only been gone about three hours, but who knows what might have happened in that time?"

"_I'm sure he and Father will be fine,_" Leanne said. She was flying in the middle, Naesala on her left and Tibarn on her right. "_And Ulki and Janaff will be helping him too._"

"Yeah, that's true," Tibarn agreed.

Naesala was only listening to their casual conversation with half an ear; he was becoming increasingly tired, and it seemed incredibly cold to him. They were flying above the clouds, and he occasionally got a glimpse of the Begnion fields and homes below. _It wasn't this cold when we set out_, he thought, shivering. A fit of coughing overcame him, causing him to fly erratically as he passed over a break in the clouds.

_That's odd… Houses weren't that close before…_

"_Naesala? Naesala!!_" he heard Leanne cry from somewhere overhead, and wondered what she sounded so worried about. He could hear the wind rushing past his ears, and then he fell into a soothing darkness.

* * *

Author's Note: This is the first fanfiction I've written in a while... Anyway, you know the drill, read and review, please. Did you think they were out of character? v.v If so, please tell me. Thanks. (: 


	2. Selfish 01 06

_**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Fire Emblem or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction.**_

* * *

_Why… I wonder why my head hurts…? Is this some sort of punishment for my misdeeds?_ Naesala wondered. He was aware that he was only half-conscious, and could hear several people murmuring in concern from around him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. _They should… speak more loudly. I hate people who talk behind my back…_

Even as he thought those words, the voices began to fade, becoming fainter and fainter until he could hear nothing at all.

---

As King, Naesala wasn't supposed to show fear or any emotion in that vein, but even the stoutest lion probably would have quailed beneath the seething gaze of the hawk King. Luckily, Naesala had had quite a bit of experience staring down his fearsome counterpart over the years, although he'd never seen Tibarn so angry before.

Then again, Naesala had never done anything to anger the hawk of this magnitude before. But he would have probably been just as angry as Tibarn was if the hawk had slaughtered his people. Not that he would have ever been in a position like that.

"Well?" Tibarn's low growl, almost a snarl, broke through Naesala's musings. His jaw was clenched tightly, his arms folded against his chest… The scene might have amused him if he had been an observer, not actually participating in the exchange. "You'd better give a damn good reason for what you did before I tear your limbs off, you traitorous crow!"

The Kilvan King resisted the urge to swallow nervously. He _did_ have a fairly good excuse, but he wasn't sure if it would cut it with Tibarn; not that the raven could blame him if it didn't.

"…Have you ever heard of a blood pact?" he asked finally.

"What does a _legend_ have to do with this?" Janaff demanded.

_Jeez… Does everyone have to be present at my humiliation?_ Naesala thought darkly. All the laguz rulers, as well as their lieutenants and right hands and whatnot were in the hall, it seemed. Maybe Mainel Cathedral hadn't been such a good location to give his confession, since it made it possible for the Apostle, her Seraph Knights, Micaiah, Sothe, Ike, Elincia…

He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to snap at the hawk king's eyes. "But you know what it is," Naesala persisted.

"…Yes. Now get on with it," Tibarn said coldly.

The raven twitched. "Lekain… Tricked me into signing one," he admitted softly. "More than half of my people were already dead… because I disobeyed him before." He hated the stricken expression on Tibarn's face. He preferred the cold rage and hatred to this expression of… of understanding, and - worst of all - _sympathy_, but Naesala refused to look away from his hawk counterpart. He hated how helpless he felt, almost as helpless as he had when he'd been under the stricture of the blood pact.

"Why didn't you _tell_ anyone?" Skrimir demanded. At least the lion seemed unfazed by the raven's confession, which relieved him, for some reason. "Surely we could have found a solution, some way to destroy this pact-"

"There is only one way to destroy a blood pact," Micaiah said. Sothe stood behind her, but at least he was the only beorc present from their little group; Naesala didn't need more witnesses than he already had. "Even if the pact itself is destroyed, the mark of the blood pact remains graven on the signer's skin, and so the signer can still be held to it."

"Hmph. How could you have been so deceived, Naesala? I thought you were the devious one-" Skrimir said.

"Skrimir…" Ranulf muttered.

The future lion king scowled, but said no more.

"Don't think you're forgiven," Tibarn said. "But now that there I know there is actually a reason behind your actions… Even if it all stemmed from your greed, I can understand, to some extent, why you would have… done what you did."

---

"Nn…" Naesala groaned, slowly opening his eyes. His throat burned, and his head throbbed steadily. "Damn it…"

"_Are you thirsty?_" Leanne asked from somewhere to his left.

"Yes," he croaked. He coughed, and his stomach lurched. "Oh, Goddess…" he groaned. He felt someone press a glass against his mouth, and then a small trickle of water slipped down his throat. The raven drank greedily, choking after a moment or so.

"_I'm going to go tell Reyson,_" Leanne told him, and he heard her leave.

He coughed again and slowly opened his eyes.

"Interesting book. I didn't know you liked this stuff," Tibarn remarked. He was sitting on a cushioned stool several feet from Naesala's bed. In his hands was one of the books from Naesala's house.

"H-hey," Naesala exclaimed, sitting up quickly. Too quickly. His head spun and he flopped back against numerous pillows. "Nn…" He could feel his cheeks heating, and resented the hawk king at that moment.

"How did you get that?" he asked, hating how weak his voice sounded. The raven turned his head to look at the hawk with half-lidded eyes.

Tibarn rose and stood before him. "Are you feeling worse? Your cheeks are all red."

"Sh-shut up!" he managed to snap, then dissolved into a fit of coughing. He reached for the half-full glass of water sitting on the bedside table beside his bed. "Where am I anyway? And what time is it?"

Tibarn handed him the glass. "Serenes. A guest room. You've been asleep for a day and a half. It's about one in the afternoon."

Naesala took a sip, feeling relief as more liquid slid down his throat. He looked around, to avoid looking at the hawk. It was a decent-sized room, with a chest of drawers, a large window covered with see-through white curtains and accompanying window seat. Several cushioned stools were placed around the room, and a wash basin stood in the corner. His bed was on the wall opposite the window.

"About this book…" Tibarn waved the afore-mentioned volume in front of his face, "you still haven't told me-"

"Give that back-" Naesala reached for it, but Tibarn was faster. The raven grimaced as he spilled the remainder of the water onto the quilt.

"I'm not done yet," the hawk told him, tucking the book into his shirt.

The former King scowled darkly. "When did you get it?" he asked, leaning back into the pillows. He'd get it eventually, when he felt better. The damage was already done, since it had looked like the hawk was about three quarters of the way through the book.

If he hadn't known better, the raven might have thought Tibarn had just _smirked_. "Why? Haven't you read it already?"

"I thought it was bad manners to harass a sick person," Naesala retorted, but it sounded more like a croak. "Ugh…" He coughed again, leaning farther back into the pillows. "Go away if you're going to be useless, hawk."

"Your gratitude is sadly lacking. I didn't have to catch you as you fell out of the sky - or maybe you conveniently forgot, crow?" Tibarn replied, pulling his stool closer so he sat beside the bed.

"…" He_had_ forgotten, actually, but wasn't about to tell the hawk that. Instead, he contented himself by ignoring the hawk.

The door opened again, this time to admit Reyson. He looked happy, Naesala noted, and seemed quite at ease.

"Why didn't you come visit?" he asked. "Oh Tibarn, Leanne said Janaff was looking for you," he added.

The hawk king nodded and left, shutting the door behind him.

"Well? What's your excuse this time, Naesala?" Reyson said expectantly. He took the stool Tibarn had vacated.

"Excuse? I had work," the raven replied, his sore throat making his voice rasp. "Got anymore water?" he asked hopefully.

"Leanne was getting you some," the heron prince replied. "And work is a lame excuse. Surely you can come up with something more convincing than that? I'm sure Sanaki would have let you take a break to come visit Serenes."

"Yeah, you're right," Naesala agreed. "I just… didn't feel like it."

"So you come when you're sick, that way you can make everyone catch a cold?"

"N-no!" He started coughing, and the pain in his throat intensified.

"…Relax, I was just teasing you," Reyson said. "Don't strain yourself."

"…Isn't this ironic?" Naesala muttered once his coughing had subsided.

"What is?"

"Well, usually it was me or Tibarn telling you not to strain yourself… And now you're the one telling _me_ that," the raven explained. His stomach hurt terribly from all the coughing, but he wasn't about to let anyone know that; he was a former king after all, and letting others know they was in pain wasn't something kings did.

Reyson smiled slightly. "That's true," he agreed. "I never thought we'd be in this position."

"Still, I don't think I've ever had a cold this serious before," Naesala remarked. _At least my nose isn't running… How would that look?_

"Oh, that's right. We think it was a combination of exhaustion and your cold that made you this sick," the heron said. "So maybe you should have taken a break sooner."

Fortunately, Naesala was saved from answering because Leanne entered at that moment, carrying a tray with a glass of water and a bowl of something steaming. She put the tray on Naesala's lap, then moved the glass of water to the bedside table. She stood there, looking at him expectantly.

"…Thanks," he said, trying not to gag. The scent coming from the… stuff… in the bowl was less than appetizing. "But I don't think I'd be able to hold it- er, any food down, at the moment," he lied. Well, half-lied. It did smell bad, and he doubted he'd be able to swallow it.

"_Oh… But I made it for you and everything,_" Leanne said, disappointed. "_But if you're sure you can't…_"

Over her shoulder, Naesala could see the amused expression on Reyson's face. _Some friend he is_, the raven thought, irritated. "Well, when you put it like that, how could I not try… this…"

"_You will? Well, it's the first time I've tried to make something, so I thought I'd try something simple, like soup,_" Leanne explained cheerfully.

Naesala nodded. _Shouldn't judge it before you've tried it…_ the raven told himself, hesitantly taking up the spoon. He raised a spoonful to his mouth…

The door slammed open and a harassed looking Janaff barged in. Naesala cursed as he dropped the spoon onto the quilt; all the soup contained therein somehow managed to splatter him. The hawk's eyes flicked to Naesala, then around the room. "…Not here then," he muttered.

"Thanks for knocking," the raven said dryly.

The less-than-tall hawk didn't even acknowledge him as he quickly ran out again.

"_I think something has happened to Ulki, and that is causing him to be so impolite,_" Leanne said. "_His thoughts are very jumbled, and hard to read. He's looking for Tibarn. _"

The former king studied the heron princess. "You sure it isn't just because I-"

"No, it's not that. Why do you keep bringing it up?" Reyson asked. "It happened in the past, and nothing can be done about it. I'm not saying I condone just forgetting it, but if you keep dwelling on it, you're never going to get over it; Tibarn has told you he understands why you did it, and he forgave you, so I don't know why you keep bringing it up."

"He forgave me? And when did that happen?" Naesala asked, surprised. "I don't recall ever hearing that."

"_Really? He thinks about-_"

"Leanne."

"_Right, right. Sorry._"

The raven looked suspiciously from one heron to the other. What were they going on about? He scowled and returned to his soup, pondering the dilemma. He'd have to ingest some eventually, or risk angering or hurting Leanne, and he assumed it would taste worse, as most food did, if it got cold.

Surprisingly, the soup was quite flavourful. Naesala wouldn't have gone straight to delicious, but it was far from disgusting… Unique. He wondered what she had put into it.

"_You like it then?_" Leanne asked happily. "_Good, good. I'll go give some to Father then._" She hurried out, smiling.

"…Am I just her test subject?!" Naesala grumbled, somewhat rhetorically.

Reyson chuckled. "I guess so."

"It's nice to know I'm loved," the raven said dryly, setting his spoon down. The bowl of soup was about half gone, and it was soothing his stomach and throat, he just felt full.

The heron prince shrugged. "Everyone's just happy to see your smiling face."

Naesala rolled his eyes. "When did you develop such… sarcasm?"

"I've been practicing."

"…Smart aleck." He started coughing again.

Reyson chuckled again. "Hurry up and get better, all right? I don't want to catch a cold either." He rose. "I'll take that tray, if you're done with it," he offered.

"Thanks… But should the herons really be waiting on a common crow?"

"Stop selling yourself short," Reyson ordered, giving Naesala a stern look. "Besides… If you keep acting like this, you'll end up doing something you'll regret, and then what? Just concentrate on getting better and leave the rest to us. Take a nap or something." The heron prince hurried out, taking the tray with him.

"…You'd think I had a terminal illness or something," muttered the raven, closing his eyes. He did feel a bit tired, now that Reyson had said that.

---

"_Naesala! Why are you leaving?_" Leanne cried, looking close to tears. "_You don't have to go…_" Seeing that her words were having little effect on him, she turned to Nealuchi. "_Tell him, tell him he can stay,_" she pleaded.

"Nestling has made up his mind," Nealuchi said, studying the younger raven through half-lidded eyes. He and Leanne, as well as Reyson and several other ravens had come to see the former king off. They stood at the edge of the recently revitalized Serenes, trying vainly to convince him to stay. "You can't dissuade him."

Naesala's eyebrow twitched at being called 'Nestling', but he managed not to be drawn out. "Yes, that's right, you should listen to Nealuchi, Leanne," he told her. "Besides, the whole happy vibe that seems to resonate in this place… It's unnatural for me; I'd probably just end up messing it up too."

"_You're wrong. Stop doubting yourself,_" she told him, glaring through the tears that had started trickling down her cheeks.

"…Hey, stop crying. You're only making this harder on yourself," Naesala told her. He hated seeing her cry, especially on his account. "Besides, I have to atone, for… for everything."

"_Reyson! Help me convince him,_" Leanne said plaintively.

"…Nealuchi's right. He won't change his mind."

"_How can you say that?_" she demanded.

"Right then, I'm off," Naesala said with a cheeriness that was entirely a sham. "See you all."

"Sir, don't leave…" he heard one of the ravens say as he shifted into his raven form.

"_You'll come visit, won't you? Naesala!_"

But he was already flying away. _Selfish,_ he told himself, _you're selfish, and you always will be…_

---

When he woke next, it was dark. Moonlight filtered in through the drawn curtain, lighting the room surprisingly well. He could see the large orb outside; the moon must almost have been full. Someone had also lit a lamp, which was on his bedside table.

Tibarn was back as well, sitting in the same stool, book in hand. Naesala would have punched him out, if he'd had the energy. Instead, he sat up and reached for the glass of water, drinking it slowly so he didn't choke.

"You were talking in your sleep," the hawk king announced, turning the page. The raven noticed that he had a different book, but still one found at his house. Where was he getting all of these?!

"…" Naesala didn't deign to answer, instead replacing the glass upon the table.

They sat in silence, the only sound the slight _shff_ of the pages as Tibarn turned them.

Finally, the raven broke the quiet. "Where'd you get that? You had a different one before."

"They found their way into my possession when I was at your house," Tibarn said calmly.

"But where did you put them?" Naesala persisted.

"Pockets have many uses."

"I never took you for a thief."

" 'Borrowing' is different than 'stealing'," the hawk king replied.

"But you _borrowed _without asking."

Tibarn's eyes flicked to him. "Are you pouting?"

"N-no!" Naesala snapped, annoyed and embarrassed. His stupid cheeks were probably turning red, too. He took another sip of water.

"Now you're blushing."

The raven choked, spluttering furiously in an attempt to voice his outrage.

"Don't kill yourself," he heard the hawk muttered, and Tibarn plucked the glass out of his hand, putting it on the table.

Once he'd recovered, Naesala just glared at his former rival. The hawk stared back calmly, unruffled.

"Nealuchi's going to be very annoyed with you. He'd have been here to see you already, but he was visiting Crimea on official business," Tibarn remarked. "He's always going on about how Nestling never comes to see himself or Lady Leanne."

"Don't call me that," the raven said automatically, but he did feel a little guilty. He'd left, merely saying that he needed to atone, and hadn't seen any of them for over half a year. He'd asked the Empress not to tell anyone where he lived either. "Only Nealuchi can call me that."

The hawk snorted. "You're not _that_ much younger than me." ((Made that up, but I think N is younger than T. I hope I remember that I think that and don't end up contradicting myself in the future xD))

"…"

"Did you mean those things you said?" Tibarn asked, sitting back down. He had the book balanced in his open palm, studying him keenly.

"…Depends. What did I say?" Naesala replied, shifting into a more comfortable position. "When did I say, for that matter?"

"When you were sleeping, you said-"

"I don't… talk in my sleep," Naesala said firmly

"You were definitely mumbling," Tibarn told him.

"…Fine, what did I say?"

"You said you were selfish. Do you believe that?"

"… …Did I say anything else?"

Tibarn studied him for a moment. "Yes, but I won't tell you what else until you answer."

"You know, considering this is supposed to be a vacation, I don't feel very relaxed," the raven said, changing tack. "Everyone's always asking me stupid questions-"

"I wonder, has Nealuchi seen this book before?" the hawk interrupted.

"Yes, fine, I do," Naesala said, irritated. "I _do_ believe I'm selfish, hawk, and I'm sure you'd agree. In fact, you used to tell me how selfish and greedy I was every single opportunity you got-"

"You said you didn't deserve to live," Tibarn said calmly, as if he hadn't even heard the raven's tirade. "Do you believe that as well?" He was standing beside his bed now, looking down at Naesala. The raven_ hated_ being looked down on, couldn't stand it at all.

"Look, why do you even care?!" he demanded. "What happened to you hating my guts?! When did it become let's ask fucking philosophical questions--!"

Naesala was jerked forward as Tibarn seized the front of his shirt roughly, pulling him up so their face were level. "Is this what happens whenever someone shows a bit of concern? You get all defensive, like they have some ulterior motive other than your wellbeing in mind? Or is it that you can't begin to grasp the concept of concern, you're so wrapped up in your greed and so assume that whomever it is that bothered to show you some concern is trying to hurt you?!" he snapped, but his voice was low.

"Close," the raven snarled back, keeping his voice low as well. "You've forgotten something: I. Killed. Your. People." Tibarn flinched, and Naesala felt a twinge of regret, but pushed on. "Why would you feel any _concern_ for my _wellbeing_?! You should hate me! Why don't you hate me?!"

"You_want_ to be hated?" Tibarn demanded, incredulous. The anger in his voice had subsided somewhat, but it was still there, simmering beneath the surface. Naesala could see the ire in his golden eyes. "Is that what you're trying to tell me? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"It's not ridi- It's better than being… than being _pitied!_" he retorted, trying to extract his shirt from Tibarn's grip. The hawk was physically stronger than the raven on any given day, and in his sickened condition Naesala definitely couldn't remove his hand.

"I don't _pity_ you," Tibarn hissed, giving him a shake. "What the hell gave you that impression?"

"You say you don't, but your eyes… They tell a different story. I saw the look on your face when I told you about the blood pact!"

The hawk released him, and the raven flopped back, cushioned by the pillows. He started coughing, and closed his eyes, hoping that the king would be gone once he opened them.

No such luck. He felt the mattress beneath him sink in as Tibarn sat beside him, and pressed the glass of water into his hand wordlessly.

Naesala sighed once his coughing had subsided and took a sip.

"I don't pity you," Tibarn said again.

Naesala didn't answer, or open his eyes. His wings were starting to feel a little cramped though; he wasn't used to lying on his back for long periods of time like this.

"Hey, did you hear me?" The hawk poked him in the side.

"Ow! Yeah, I heard you," Naesala growled. "It's bad enough that my stomach hurts from coughing, I don't need you jabbing me viciously on top of that."

"It's your own fault for not answering."

Naesala opened his eyes, sapphire staring into topaz. (!) "You're very stubborn, you know that?"

"As if you're one to talk."

"…Don't you have anything better to do?" the raven asked, putting the glass back on the bedside table. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Around midnight."

"… …Your concern is very…" _Odd. _"…touching, but shouldn't you get some sleep? You're the king, after all."

"King's can do almost whatever they want," Tibarn replied. He was reading the book again.

"…Responsible kings don't do whatever they want." _As if I'm one to talk about the responsibility of kings,_ he thought.

"They do almost whatever they want," the hawk agreed, nodding. He turned a page.

"…Do you have to read it in front of me? It's embarrassing enough that you've seen it, but you have to rub it in my face by reading it?"

The Phoenician turned an eye to him. "Why? You must have read it before. Where did you get it from, anyway?"

Naesala scowled and leaned back. He most certainly was _not_ going to answer that question. (Tanith had found it and several others like it in Sanaki's possession, and had assumed it was his. He'd had the entire series thrown at him, accompanied by a very thorough tongue-lashing and a very sharp javelin. He was lucky to evade the latter. The raven had later found out that _Elincia_ had given them to Sanaki, of all people. He'd read them out of curiosity… Some were more… radical than others, but he'd kept them all.)

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," the raven replied.

"…Now you have my interest piqued."

"Well, that's just too bad."

"…Hmph. Well, whoever wrote them is a genius."

Naesala opened his eyes. "You like them?" He was surprised; he'd thought the hawk was just reading them to irk him.

"Yes; don't you?"

"…Which ones have you read anyway?" he asked cautiously.

"Tactics. Paradise. I'm on Violence." (!)

"…You got all of those from my house? How many did you take?" Naesala demanded. _He's already read Tactics… What must he be thinking? And Violence… Is even more so than Tactics… _He groaned inwardly. Of _course_ he would take the most graphic ones…

"Three; this is the last one," Tibarn replied calmly.

_Two can play at this game,_ Naesala thought grimly. "They were that interesting to you?"

"Yes… I think Tactics was my favourite so far," the hawk replied seriously.

The raven studied him suspiciously, but the other laguz seemed to be perfectly serious. Still…

"And which is your favourite?"

"Eh? Vi- Er, Paradise," Naesala said quickly, glad that the light was fairly bad, which meant his reddening cheeks wouldn't be too prominent.

"Really? What's your favourite part of Violence?"

"…Don't really like that one," the raven muttered. "I said I liked Paradise, didn't I?" He took another sip of water and hoped to the Goddess that Tibarn couldn't see his hands shaking.

"Show me?" The hawk seemed to be ignoring him completely, and held the book in front of him.

"…Too tired," Naesala said, taking another sip of water. "Maybe if your bring Paradise tomorrow…"

"You know, I've heard that reading aloud to someone stuck in bed sick is good for them. I could read Violence to you tomorrow, if you'd like… Then you can tell me your favourite part when I get to it…"

"All right!" Naesala snatched the book from his hand and flipped to a random page. He shoved it back at the hawk. "Here."

Even in the dim light, the raven could see the Phoenician's raised eyebrow. "Interesting choice."

"What? What page did I pick--?!" Naesala sat up quickly, snatching for the book, but Tibarn held it at arm length.

"Worried?" the hawk asked calmly, his golden eyes showing amusement at the raven's predicament.

"Tch!" He grabbed the hawk's left arm, which he was leaning on, with his right hand and jerked him forward, grabbing for the book with his free hand.

Tibarn shifted, dropping the book and throwing his right arm out so that he wouldn't fall on top of Naesala, who scowled at the hawk, trying to ignore the discomfort that came with his close proximity to the raven. Once again, he was glad for the dim light coming from the lamp; it cast everything in an orange light in addition to providing insufficient lighting, so his reddening cheeks weren't obvious… He hoped.

That same dim light was a curse though, because he couldn't see Tibarn's face clearly either.

"Is it that important to you?" the hawk asked. He was close enough that Naesala could feel his soft breath against his face. "Or maybe… you're embarrassed?"

"…Maybe," the raven mumbled, shifting.

"But you wouldn't have kept it if…" The hawk cocked his head, and in doing so placed his eyes in a position so that the raven could see them.

Naesala looked away, unable to continue staring into those gold eyes. They were full of emotion, and yet he couldn't read them at all. _What am I doing?_ he thought frantically, trying to think of a way out of this mess. He was totally out of his depth, and painfully aware of it. He released Tibarn's arm and closed his eyes, just wishing that the hawk would leave.

The raven felt Tibarn shifted, and calloused fingers closed around his chin, gently turning his head to face the hawk. "Open your eyes," the Phoenician said quietly, much closer than he had been before. Too close. He could feel the other's soft exhalations against his lips.

Naesala refused, his heart thumping erratically. He hated how he felt at that moment, hated and yet… didn't want the feeling to end.

"…Stubborn," the hawk muttered.

The raven's eyes flew open as he felt Tibarn press their lips together gently, almost hesitantly, leaving no doubt to Naesala that he could pull away if he wanted to.

_If_, mind you.

The Kilvan pressed closer to the hawk, parting his lips slightly, his arms moving to rest at the nape of the hawk's neck. Tibarn needed no further invitation, releasing the other's chin in favour of slipping his arm around to the small of his back, supporting the raven as he gently pushed him backwards. Naesala shivered as the hawk ran his tongue over the raven's lower lip, a soft shudder escaping as Tibarn's tongue entered his mouth. The king was kissing him with more urgency now, his lips pressing insistently against the raven's, and the raven responded with equal ardour, pulling Tibarn closer.

Their breathing was ragged as they broke apart. Naesala pressed his forehead against the hawk's shoulder, coughing.

"Sorry," Tibarn mumbled, his lips pressed against the raven's ear.

"Nn… Don't be," Naesala replied, once he'd caught his breath.

The hawk pulled back, studying him with unreadable eyes once more. "You look tired," he remarked. "…I should go."

"N- Fine, if you want to," Naesala muttered. His mind was still reeling, but he knew for sure that he didn't want Tibarn to go.

The king nodded and rose. "Good night," he said, pausing in the doorway.

"…Yeah, you too," the raven replied. He was unwilling to tell the hawk that he wanted him to stay, his pride wouldn't let him.

The hawk left, closing the door softly behind him.

Naesala sighed and closed his eyes, wondering what the hell he was going to do.

---

The next morning when Leanne came in, Naesala was asleep. She noticed an orange book with a large red circle with a line through it lying near the foot of the bed.

"_Odd…_" she murmured to herself, picking it up. She flipped through it curiously, wondering who could have left it here; Naesala had brought no books with him, and she'd never seen it around before…

She was only starting to learn how to read in the common tongue, but maybe that was a good thing.

"…_Hm…__What is…_"She sounded the unknown word out slowly, wondering what it could mean. "_I'll ask Naesala when he wakes,_" she decided, closing the book and placing it beside the lamp, which had burned out in the night.

"_He will know what _'prostate' _is._"

* * *

Exclamation marks:

1 - I looked up topaz in my built-in Word dictionary, and it said topaz was _(2) yellowish gemstone: a yellowish gemstone, especially__** yellow sapphire **__or a yellow variety of quartz._Isn't yellow sapphire a contradiction? o.o' Weird.

2 - Any ideas about the books? xD

Um. I have nothing else to add. Review and such, please. Constructive criticism and the like are greatly appreciated as well. Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. A Fight 01 18

-1_**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Fire Emblem or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction.**_

At the behest of Black Nights, I've made sure not to do any of my author's notes in the middle of the story.

…Actually, I don't think I made any author's notes in this chapter…

But they made a valid point that I totally hadn't thought of before, so I won't do any author's notes in the middle of the chapter! (Thanks, by the way.)

* * *

Naesala woke to singing the next morning. He looked around, slightly disoriented, until his gaze fell upon Leanne. _Oh right_, he thought. _Visiting Serenes…_

The raven closed his eyes again as he remembered (or rather, was overwhelmed by) the events of the previous night.

The singing stopped. "_Naesala? I know you're awake,_" Leanne said.

Cloth rustled slightly, and when he opened his eyes a crack, he could see the heron princess doing something on the bedside table.

_Orange…!_ He sat up quickly. "Wh-where did you get that, Leanne?" he demanded.

"_I knew you were awake!_" she said triumphantly. "_Tell me what this word means,_" the heron ordered, completely ignoring his previous question. "_I've never seen it before._" Leanne held the book up, one delicate finger pointing to a word near the bottom of the page.

"…" _Crap! How do I talk my way out of _this?! he thought frantically. "W-well… See, Tibarn left it here. He was reading it last night, and I guess he forgot it. Maybe you should ask him?" _Serves him right…_

"_Tibarn… Do you think he will know what… _pro… state… _means?_"

Naesala felt his eyebrow twitch. "Well, he was the one reading it," he replied.

"_I see… Well, I guess I'll go see him and ask him._" The heron princess turned to leave, book still in hand.

"Wait--! Leanne, you're leaving me, to go see _him_? After you convinced me to come all the way here and visit, and now you're going to go see Tibarn? You see him everyday," Naesala said, searching his mind for a way to get the book away from her.

The heron gasped. "_You're right! I'm so sorry, Naesala!_" She glided back over to his side, looking distraught. "_I can always just ask Reyson when he comes in, I suppose._"

"…Are you sure? Maybe Tibarn would be a good person to ask."

Leanne looked at him, her expression… well, suspicious, an adjective Naesala had never thought he would ever use to describe her. Apparently he was wrong.

"…_Are you sure you don't know what that word means?_" she asked.

"Well, it's one of those words where you know what they mean, but you're not good at defining them," Naesala replied, lying.

"_Oh… That happens to me all the time! Except I'm just learning the modern language._"

"…Right. Well, it's sort of an obscure word. It's not something that just pops up randomly in conversation," the raven explained, feeling slightly guilty. That last sentence _was _truth, though. "Why don't you leave the book here? It, uh, looks interesting; you know how boring it is, lying in bed…"

"_All right. If it'll make your time in bed more interesting,_" Leanne said, smiling. She lifted the glass of water - a new one that she must have brought when she came in - and placed the book beneath it.

He turned a slightly hysterical laugh into a cough at her words. Naesala felt even more guilty, but managed to shake the feeling off.

"What time is it?" he asked, picking the glass up. The raven watched the light streaming through the window refract as it hit the water in the clear glass, idly swishing it. He wasn't overly thirsty, despite the fact that he had a bad cold, and the pain in his throat was easing.

"About ten o'clock in the morning," Reyson answered. He'd just walked in, overhearing Naesala's question, but (the raven hoped) not the rest of their conversation.

"Oh, thanks," the former king replied quickly, not wanting to seem as if he wasn't paying attention. Because he most certainly was. And not thinking about Tibarn. Or prostates, for the matter. And _definitely_ not Tibarn's--

"Nn," he groaned softly, rubbing his temples. Stupid hawk was giving him a headache, first with the book, and now… _No, stop thinking about it!_ he ordered himself sternly.

"_Naesala? Are you all right?_" Leanne and Reyson were looking at him almost identical concerned expressions on their angelic faces.

"Y-yes. Sorry. I'm just feeling… I think I'm getting a headache," he explained.

"Do you want us to leave?" Reyson asked, studying the raven with a gaze reminiscent of Tibarn. Naesala shifted uncomfortably beneath the intense scrutiny, quickly looking to Leanne. She was much less… intimidating.

"No, but I just don't think I'll be very good company," Naesala mumbled, taking a sip of water. "And it must be boring hanging around someone has self-pitying as me."

"Well that's true," the heron prince replied dryly.

"Ah, your words never fail to lift my spirit, Reyson."

"I'm surprise your spirit can still be lifted."

"Were it not for your words…"

"_All right Reyson, let's go find Tibarn,_" Leanne said, hustling her older brother out.

"This isn't over," the older heron promised, pausing in the doorway.

"I should hope not."

"_Let's_go!" Leanne said sternly. "_Don't overexert yourself, Naesala!_" she added sternly, before shutting the door quietly behind herself.

"…Thanks for the… concern…"

Naesala sighed and picked up the book, balancing it in one hand and taking another drink of the water. Despite the fact that he had just woken up, he was asleep less than fifteen minutes later.

---

"You don't have to do this you know," the Apostle told him. The fourteen year old didn't even come up to his shoulder, yet she held more authority than he ever had, and would ever hold in his lifetime, in spite of the fact that he would probably live to be three times the age she was when she died.

"Yeah, I keep hearing that," the raven replied. "Spare me, please, I've heard it all, and no offense, but I don't feel like hearing it from someone who's seventy-five years younger than me."

"…All right, if you're certain. I guess I can understand your conviction and dedication, to some extent," Sanaki sighed. "I'm not sure I even have such a position, but I guess I can make one… After all, it's the least I can do, especially after what happened-"

"Right, thanks," he said, a little more sharply than he had intended. Tanith glared at him, but the raven pointedly ignored her.

The Empress of Begnion sighed again. "I'll let you know in a few days if anything comes up," she told him. "It'll probably be sooner rather than later. I hope you're prepared to follow through with your commitment."

"Of course; I always honour an agreement."

"If you receive payment," Sanaki pointed out.

"…Yes, but the good feelings that come with a job well done will be payment enough," he replied sarcastically. "Really. Stop worrying. Empress," he added, as Tanith cleared her throat. He still didn't look at her though.

"Yes. Where will you be staying, so that I may contact you should something arise?"

"I've purchased a house about a mile north out from Sienne; I'd appreciate if you didn't discuss its location with too many people," he replied.

"I won't breathe a word to Nealuchi or Leanne," the Apostle promised, seeing his meaning immediately. That girl was far too perceptive for her age. He might have guessed she could read minds, like the herons or Micaiah, if he hadn't known that she wasn't actually the first-born daughter.

"…Thank you."

---

"Nestling! Nestling!"

Someone was shaking his shoulder rather violently. _Why_ was someone shaking his shoulder rather violently? He had no idea, but it hurt like hell.

"Nn… What?" The raven cracked one eye open, squinting at the older raven who was so violently shaking him. "Nealuchi… I told you not to call me that," he groaned.

Nealuchi released him, glaring down at his former charge. "What is _this_?" he demanded.

"…Huh? What are you even doing here, Tibarn said you were in Cri…" He trailed off as something large and orange was smashed unceremoniously into his nose.

"Ow-- What was that for?!" snapped Naesala, jerking the novel out of the older raven's grasp.

"You… you read this junk, Nestling?!" exclaimed Nealuchi indignantly, as if Naesala's literature choices were a personal offense to him.

"What do you think? And stop calling me that," the blue-haired laguz growled back, shoving the book under the covers.

"I expected better of you, Nestling," the older raven said gravely, disapproval emanating from him in waves. Naesala glared.

"Well, given my history I'm not sure why you would," he retorted darkly, looking in the opposite direction of his mentor.

He didn't see the cane that suddenly whacked him over his head.

The younger raven's vision went white for a moment, and he flinched away, one hand raised to potentially fend off any more vicious blows, the other rubbing his suddenly aching head. "Goddess, what the hell is your problem?" he snarled at Nealuchi, who was watching him impassively through half-lidded eyes, his displeasure still evident. He was leaning on his cane as well. The old bird was faster than Naesala had given him credit for. "Why isn't anyone acting like they should?" he asked of no one in particular.

"Nestling, you make life harder than it should be for yourself," Nealuchi told him sadly.

"…Yeah? Well you seem to be making a good contribution to that as well," the other raven muttered, scowling. His hand was still raised, in case Nealuchi decided to get violent once more. "And _stop_ calling me Nestling!!"

"Nestling, I believe we've been through this several times, and I don't think anyone reading this needs to read that little mantra again," Nealuchi said sternly.

Naesala blinked. "Why are you even here? Tibarn said you were in Crimea on diplomatic business!"

The old raven nodded. "I was, but when I heard that you had decided to visit Serenes… Well, Queen Elincia understood immediately, and I left as soon as I could to come see you."

The former king felt his eyebrow twitch. He wondered if he was developing a nervous tic. "Well… Thanks," he muttered awkwardly, lowering his hands. "I guess I'm just… really bad at appreciating other people's concern for me…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Naesala saw Nealuchi raise his hand again and he flinched instinctively, but the old crow just patted him on the head. "Yes," the old raven agreed simply, sitting in the stool. It seemed to be getting a lot more use than the other positioned around the room.

"…Although it doesn't help that you were hitting me," Naesala added after several moments.

"Well, if you're reduced to reading… _that_ sort of thing, then you need some sense beaten into you," Nealuchi replied calmly, unfazed.

"Wha-_Tibarn_ brought it," the raven snapped, conveniently omitting the fact that the hawk king had taken it from his house.

"…Somehow I don't believe you, Nestling."

"What? What?! Why does everyone have this… this chaste, goody-two-shoes impression of him? He's… Nngh… I've had enough of this supposed vacation…!"

"Now, now, Nestling. It's not that bad, and you know it."

"…Stop calling me that, you senile old crow."

"You will always be…" And he launched into the whole explanation of why he constantly referred to Naesala as 'Nestling'.

"…" Naesala was on the verge of interrupting him when the older raven started in on some embarrassing childhood tale when Ulki suddenly burst in.

At least Naesala thought it was Ulki. He was one of the two who were considered to be Tibarn's right and left hands, and he was fairly certain that the short, blond-haired one was Janaff, so by process of elimination this one must be Ulki.

"Oh, Ulki! What's with the worried expression?" Nealuchi asked, breaking off mid-way through the 'amusing' story of Naesala's youth.

The hawk gave Naesala a nod before turning to the older raven. "Nealuchi… When did you get back?"

_Well, at least he acknowledged me,_ Naesala thought dryly, listening with half an ear as the hawk described some sort of domestic disagreement that had arisen between a hawk and a raven.

"Oh? Well, Nes- Naesala looks like he needs some sort of activity. We'll both go solve this dispute," Nealuchi decided. "Right, Nestling?"

"…Yeah, sure," Naesala said distractedly. Ulki hurried out of the room, looking relieved.

"Wait, what? What did I just agree to?" the raven asked.

"You do it everyday, or nearly every," Nealuchi replied. "At least that is what the Apostle divulged. It was surprisingly hard to get any information out of her about you; usually she answers any questions Leanne happens to ask."

"…I didn't know there were beorc here," Naesala remarked, ignoring the older raven's implication. "Apart from those like the great general Ike-" he said the words with heavy sarcasm; despite the beorc's acceptance of laguz, the raven had never really liked him, "-Zihark, Elincia… People like them, who are tolerant of laguz."

"Stop stalling, Nestling," Nealuchi ordered. "_If_ you had been listening, you would have known that some sort of dispute had arisen between a hawk and a raven!"

"I was just… Making sure you had been paying attention," Naesala said with as much dignity as he could muster.

The look Nealuchi gave him told the younger raven that he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Up!" the older raven snapped, banging his cane against the floor. "Hurry up, Nestling!" He walked out before Naesala had time to react.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" the former king snarled. "And stop calling me that!"

He flipped the covers back, tucking the orange novel under his pillow, and stepped onto the cold floor, which made him realise he wasn't wearing any boots. "…" He looked around, but his typical knee-high boots were no where to be found.

"NESTLING!" Nealuchi's call could probably have been heard throughout the entire forest.

His face crimson with embarrassment and annoyance, he quickly walked to the door, bare feet making an annoying slapping noise on the flagstones. Just as Naesala was about to leave, he cast a glance back in, and noticed that his boots were sitting beside the dresser, hidden from his previous position beside the bed.

He hurried back and pulled them on, tucking his tight black pants in. This prompted thoughts of how scruffy he must look, so he quickly redid his ponytail, splashed some water on his face, tried to smooth out his rumpled clothes (why hadn't he thought to bring some from his home?!) and trotted after his mentor, who was waiting for him at the end of the hall.

"Where are we anyway?" Naesala asked, looking around. He had only been in the castle at Serenes once, and then only briefly, so he had no idea where the heck anything was, or how to get there. The hall he was in had rooms on one side, three evenly spaced doors marking their entrances; his was the one in the middle. The hall ended in a balcony, the other end connecting to another hall that led deeper into the castle.

"The western wing. This way," Nealuchi said, starting to walk left. They turned right at the end of that hall, then turned right again. It looked exactly like the corridor leading to Naesala's room, and the raven was thoroughly lost, even though he'd probably only been out of his room for five minutes. They turned left, entering a passage identical to the one where his room was located, only the rooms were on the other side of the hall.

"…Eastern wing?" Naesala guessed.

"Yes," Nealuchi agreed, nodding. He walked out onto the balcony and pulled a laguz stone out of his pocket, using its power to transform.

"So, where are we going?" The younger raven could still transform at will, something he had retained from his tenure as a laguz ruler. Tibarn had never asked for the Formshift back, and Naesala didn't offer, so he'd simply kept it.

"It's hard to explain, you'll just have to follow, Nestling," Nealuchi said. "Just like when you were a little nestling…" He cackled at his own joke, which Naesala didn't think was very funny.

"Yeah?" He flew after his mentor. "At the speed you're going, we won't get there until next year."

The older raven cackled all the more and sped up. He was actually going quite fast, again exhibiting speed that Naesala hadn't thought he possessed. The former king kept up easily, the pace comfortable. He felt refreshed to be out in the sun, even if he'd only been stuck in bed for two days, and as the sun's rays warmed his ebon wings, he once again found himself marvelling at Serenes' beauty, wondering what it would have been like if he'd chosen to stay.

They crossed paths with several hawks, and two ravens, who recognized their former king immediately. The duo changed course and joined them, flying several feet away from Naesala.

"It's been quite a while, King Naesala," remarked the nearest.

"I'm no longer your king, Miacis," he reminded her.

The other raven gave a shrug, if the gesture was possible given the fact that she was using her wings/shoulders for flying.

"Even if you bear no such title, we will still regard you as our king," the other raven, a male named Danyl said.

"Tibarn's your king now," Naesala said gruffly, but he was touched by his subjects' loyalty to him. Then again, it may just have been because Tibarn was a hawk. He shooed that thought away. "Besides, he treats your fairly and even-handedly; what more can you ask for?"

"…True," Miacis agreed reluctantly. "But he lacks your understanding of our kind."

"We are all birds," Nealuchi said sternly. "Now, if you're going to keep bothering Naesala, I suggest you leave immediately; we're on official business."

"Are you now?" asked Danyl. "Already putting King Naesala to work, I see."

"Silence, youngster! Nestling agreed to it."

"Don't call me that," Naesala growled. "_Both_ of you. I'm no longer your king, as I said before, and I'd appreciate if you'd remember that. I'm also fully grown, so you can just stop calling me Nestling too, Nealuchi."

"…Fine. But it doesn't sound right to refer to you by your first name," Danyl replied.

"We're almost there. See that ruin up ahead? Land there," Nealuchi directed, starting to descend. The other three ravens followed suit, Nealuchi and Naesala reverting to their beorc-like form as they landed. There were several lean-tos and several more free-standing huts around it, and an assortment of ravens and hawks were wandering around, doing whatever it is they should be doing at that moment.

"…So, what are we here for again, Nealuchi?" asked Naesala, looking around with mild curiosity. The cold attitude that the ravens and the hawks usually held between each other was non-existent in this small community, and the former king was unsure of why he had been brought here. He looked back to Nealuchi for an explanation, but the old raven had wandered off and was speaking to a pair of hawks.

"This settlement is one of the more… integrated, let's say," Miacis explained. "All of the laguz living in this area are fairly comfortable with each other. They've forgiven and mostly forgotten past wrongs done, and have agreed to live peacefully beside the other tribe. But other areas of the forest are inhabited solely by hawks, and what's left is for the ravens. Members of the other clans can go to those areas, but it's intensely uncomfortable."

"And what faction do you belong to?" Naesala asked mildly, as if he had little interest in the answer.

"…" The two other ravens exchanged glances.

He wondered if they would tell him the truth. Miacis was devious, while Danyl was more honest and open.

"Well, we try not to associate with hawks," Danyl said at last, and as far as Naesala could tell, he wasn't lying.

Naesala nodded. "I see." He hadn't actually thought that the two tribes would accept each other immediately, but it had been a nice fantasy. "What about the herons?"

"Oh, they're fine, although it is a little nerve-wracking to think that they can read your thoughts," Danyl replied. "Everyone likes them, and we all try to be nice to King Lorazieh."

The former king nodded again. "Good. Although… Nealuchi said we were here to break up a dispute that had arisen between a raven and a hawk, but you say that this area of Serenes is home to both hawks and ravens, who live together without any qualms," he remarked.

"Well… sometimes hawks or ravens who think their tribe should have nothing to do with the other come here and try to persuade their fellows to leave this area," Danyl explained.

"You don't do that, I hope," Naesala said sharply, staring the other two down. He was a bit surprised at his own reaction, but he didn't let it show; a king didn't show his own insecurity to his people, and he had yet to shake that particular habit - not that he had any intention of doing so.

"No, of course not. They made their choice," Miacis agreed, but Danyl wouldn't meet his eyes.

_So…_ Naesala thought. He remembered that Danyl was more of a follower, well Miacis was more dominant, and he had always supported her when the situation had arisen. "I see," he replied, carefully filing the information away.

"Nest- Naesala," Nealuchi said, returning to them. He had his cane in hand once again, and Naesala wondered how that worked while shifting and reverting. The clothes… well, the fact that they were there when a laguz reverted was somewhat fishy in it of itself, but what about the old raven's cane? Where did _that_ go? "Corwyth has agreed to take us to the raven that was stirring up trouble." He nodded to one of the hawks, who had followed him there.

The hawk nodded to Naesala, but said nothing. He was muscled, about the same height as Naesala, with dirty blond hair that was cut around his ears. His eyes were light gray, and his face was blank as he studied the former raven king.

"It_was_ a raven then," Miacis remarked, glaring at the hawk with thinly veiled hostility.

"Yes," Corwyth replied indifferently. "And the idiot that came here before that was hawk."

Miacis shrugged, turning away. "Well, it was good seeing you, King Naesala," she said. "But we were on our way to visit some friends, and they'll be a bit annoyed if we're late." She and Danyl flew off, in the opposite direction of the way they'd been going when they'd met up with Naesala and Nealuchi.

…_Weren't they going the other way? _Naesala thought, watching their gradually shrinking forms.

"…They still refer to you as king," the hawk remarked, his voice as bland as ever, but now the gray eyes were watching him, intent upon his reaction. Nealuchi opened his mouth, but Naesala waved him off.

"I've asked them not to," the raven replied. "I think she just said that to annoy you."

"…As you say." The hawk spread his wings, shifting into an average-sized bird. "We should hurry if you want to catch up to the raven, which left about fifteen minutes ago."

The two ravens nodded and took to the air, following the hawk as he led them back in the direction they'd come.

"Great," Naesala complained. "We just _came_ from here. We probably passed him."

"Him? It was female; one of the ravens referred to her as Miacis, if I recall correctly," the hawk said.

"What?! Stop, wait," Naesala said, pulling up short.

"What is it?" the hawk asked, sounding a little vexed.

"Miacis… Are you sure?"

"Yes; she was with another, who I think was called… Danyl."

"We were just with them! Who would have thought they'd sink so low… Hurry, we're still faster than them," Nealuchi said, turning. He starting flapping in the direction the other two ravens had gone.

"What? Are you serious?" Corwyth hurried after, several feet behind Naesala, who overtook Nealuchi in a matter of moments. The raven hid his surprise. This hawk was faster than most, if he could keep up with the former king.

"…Yes," Naesala said shortly. "I knew all of my subordinates by name."

"Knock their heads together for me, Nestling!!" he heard Nealuchi call from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, I intend to," the other raven muttered, overlooking Nealuchi's pet name for him; he had more important things to attend to at the moment.

"…Nestling."

"Shut your beak!" Naesala snapped, casting a glare at the hawk, who had pulled up along side him. "He's… a senile old fool."

"I see. We hawks have great respect for Sir Nealuchi," Corwyth replied.

"…He does have that effect on most people," the raven conceded.

"You… are not like I had expected," the hawk confessed, sounding a little guilty.

"Oh?" Naesala asked, in what he hoped was a mildly interested voice. He was actually quite curious about how he had measured up to the hawk's expectations.

"The ravens… Those I live with show great loyalty to you, even if your rule was flawed. You were one of the few things we in the community disagreed about; they were adamant that you were a good king, despite the blood pact, while we hated you for the slaughter of our wives and children." Naesala winced. Did that have to be brought up in every other conversation he participated in?

"…That's understandable. I…I cannot begrudge you that sentiment; I would feel the same in your place," the raven said, keeping his voice emotionless. _At least this hawk has his priorities right,_ he thought. _Isn't spouting nonsense like Tibarn…_

"There, you did it again. Your attitude is completely different from what I had expected."

"Then what _had _you expected?" Naesala asked.

"…Arrogance. It was the common opinion of the hawks that you had left Serenes to avoid being torn apart by us. Also, we had thought you unrepentant," Corwyth explained.

"Well… Usually I am more arrogant than this, but I've been a bit under the weather lately," the raven replied. "And thinking back… I guess I left Serenes for more than one reason, although my primary concern was because I felt my presence would ruin the fragile peace-"

Without warning, eight ravens suddenly flew up from the trees, surrounding Naesala and Corwyth, Miacis and Danyl among them. They were arrayed in a loose circle around the two. He recognized all of them, and could put a name to almost all of them. None were within attacking range though.

"King Naesala," Miacis said, daring to fly closer. The two ravens on either side moved closer, to fill in the gap. "You've changed."

"…Have I?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "Or maybe it's you who've changed."

"What happened to working for the advancement of Kilvas?" she asked. "What happened to not caring about what others thought of you?"

"…You saw how far my attitude got us," he replied, looking around without turning his head. The ravens around him were all followers, but there were at least three behind him that he couldn't see.

"Regardless," she snapped, "Kilvas experienced growth and power previously unheard of while you ruled!"

"Then why aren't you happy now? With the combined power of the ravens and the hawks-"

" 'And the hawks' - don't feed me that shit. We were strong enough by ourselves; why did you have to leave? Why did you let that _hawk_ rule us?!"

There were murmurs of agreement from the other ravens, but Naesala ignored them.

"Listen to yourself," he snapped, becoming angry. "You're babbling on about hawks; has he done anything to you? He rules fairly, doesn't he? Are you so obsessed with fighting that you can't just relax and be content with the peace that you've been given, at such a high cost?!"

"…You certainly have changed, Naesala. What a shame."

The former king heard the soft displacement of air as one of the ravens behind him dove for him. He turned quickly, wheeling sharply…

…just in time to see the hawk Corwyth meet the raven in the air. Their talons locked, and the two plummeted, tearing at each other with their beaks.

The other ravens darted after them.

"Damn!" Naesala cursed, slashing a raven's wing with a talon as it foolishly passed within range. The raven, disabled, fell, desperately flapping it's other wing in an attempt to slow his fall, but Naesala didn't see; he was already bearing down on another, which was flying lower than him.

He smashed into him, slamming him squarely between the wings and digging his talons in, tearing at the muscles. With a pained caw, it fell to the forest floor. He looked over to where Corwyth was trying to fend off five other ravens; Naesala couldn't tell if his original opponent was there or not. Two other ravens were flying towards him - Miacis and Danyl.

He beat his wings, speeding up to meet them. Miacis was weaker, while Danyl was slower, but they complemented each other well, and were a devastating team when in a fight.

But they were no match for a laguz ruler.

He took out Danyl first, using his superior speed to outmanoeuvre the male, tearing a large chunk of his left wing muscle out. He spiralled down, slamming into the ground; Miacis thought to attack him from behind while he was off-balance.

A mistake - Naesala was only faking, and he turned sharply, this time relying on his strength to overpower his opponent.

Nealuchi had caught up by that time, and the ravens attacking Corwyth had dwindled to two with the older raven's arrival. Seeing that they were outnumbered, the duo fled.

Naesala quickly flew over to them. The hawk's wing beats were laboured, and he was bleeding heavily from a gash across his stomach, as well as various cuts on his wings and back.

"Revert to your beorc form," Nealuchi was saying. "I have a vulnerary, but I don't think it will be enough to heal you completely… Nestling will carry you back."

"I will?" Naesala asked, pulling up beside him. "Nealuchi, do you remember Laniel?"

"Yes… that boy was always trouble. Why do you ask? I didn't see him among those here."

"He was the one who spoke; was that the one who attacked me first, Corwyth?"

"…Yes," the hawk agreed, accepting the vulnerary Nealuchi handed him. He swallowed some, and the bleeding slowed almost immediately.

"He's probably the leader; he and Miacis. See if you can find him, please."

"He fell over there," the hawk added, indicating an area several hundred feet away.

Nealuchi nodded and flew in that direction.

"Can you fly without help?" Naesala asked. "I guess I can carry you back, if the need arises."

"I'll be fine," the hawk replied, taking another mouthful of the vulnerary.

"All right."

Nealuchi returned a few minutes later. "Not there," he reported. "I didn't see any other ravens."

Naesala nodded. "Of course. Some were probably on the ground…"

"We_are_ in raven territory," Corwyth remarked. "The area surrounding the castle is considered neutral, and all of the mixed communities are around there."

"Ah… Makes sense," the younger raven agreed.

"We'll have to go back and report this… I don't think there have been any actual fights between ravens and hawks before this," Nealuchi said, sounding sad.

"Yes… We'll have to try and keep it quiet; there are hawks who are of the same opinion as the ravens, and they won't differentiate between ravens who live in my community and the ravens like the ones here," Corwyth remarked. He was completely healed now, despite Nealuchi's words, but his clothes were blood-stained.

"Definitely. What are we going to say about the blood though?" the older raven asked.

"…I'll make something up," the hawk replied. "You go back to the castle. It will probably be better if I return to the community by myself."

"…Are you sure? Won't everyone be a little suspicious if you return blood-stained and alone?" Naesala asked.

"I will explain the situation," the hawk replied.

"Well… If you're sure. Thanks, you know, for back there," the raven added awkwardly. For him, it went against the grain to thank anybody, so he wasn't very practiced at it.

Corwyth shrugged, as if a hawk standing up for a raven was no big deal. "It was to our mutual benefit; they would have gone after me eventually."

"…Yes," Naesala agreed.

Beside him, Nealuchi was nodding and smiling; not a good sign. Naesala scowled at his mentor. "Well? Let's go. We have to report this to… whoever these matters get reported to!"

"Yes yes, Nestling," the older raven agreed.

"And stop calling me that!"

"You will always be-"

The two were startled by a chuckle from Corwyth.

"…Whatever," Naesala muttered, embarrassed. "Let's just go, all right?"

"Yes Nestling."

"…"

Naesala could feel his cheeks heating as he flew away from the softly laughing hawk. Fortunately, he was still transformed, so no one could see.

---

They ran into Janaff (not literally) just as the castle came into sight. The hawk was flying towards them, and pulled up short, turning to fly alongside Nealuchi.

"What happened? Ulki said he heard fighting, but then he was called away," Janaff asked, sounding concerned. Naesala he ignored, again. Well, two could play at that game. "Did you find the raven who was at the settlement?"

"Yes, but she got away. I think the problem may be larger than we initially thought," Nealuchi told the hawk gravely. "She seemed to be part of a larger group, under the direction of Laniel…"

Janaff nodded. "I'll inform the king; thanks," he said, quickly flying ahead of them.

Naesala frowned. _He_ had wanted to inform the king! "No!" he snapped aloud, irritated by his rebellious thoughts. He couldn't control how those… _things_ just randomly popped into his head.

"What's wrong, Nestling?" Nealuchi asked, concerned.

"Er, nothing," Naesala lied. "Let's just hurry, my headache's coming back," he added, which wasn't a lie.

"You're right, Nestling! I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd be involved in a fight…"

"Don't sound so guilty, it's not your fault, Nealuchi," the younger raven said, just managing to keep his irritation out of his voice. He wasn't mad at the older raven, after all, although Nealuchi's stubborn refusal to refer to him by his real name certainly wasn't helping matters.

"We should slow down," Nealuchi decided. "Flying fast only worsens a headache, believe me."

"I do."

"…Actually, I think I got a bit mixed up there. Flying fast just tends to worsen the aching in my joints."

"…"

---

And so, somehow Naesala found himself in his room once more, tucked back into bed by his infuriating mentor, who insisted on securing the covers, in case Nestling got cold or developed a fever.

"It's just a headache!" Naesala snapped testily, scowling.

Nealuchi looked at him, his gaze piercing. "Well, it's not often I get to pretend you're still the little nestling I once raised…" he said wistfully, which only served to make the younger crow embarrassed. Naesala looked away, trying to tell himself that his cheeks were _not_ bright red at the moment.

"Get well soon, Nestling!" Nealuchi added brightly. "I have other matters to attend to now, though…" He prodded the other raven in the shoulder, and not very gently either. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Nestling!" he ordered sternly.

"All right! Just settle down," Naesala muttered, his scowl deepening.

"I will see you soon," the older raven promised gravely.

"…Yeah, okay," the former king replied, a bit perturbed. "Talk to you then," he added pointedly, when Nealuchi made no attempt to leave.

"Of course! We will discuss how much worry you've caused myself and Leanne during your absence," the older raven agreed cheerfully. "I'd forgotten about that, but the initial joy of seeing you has worn off now."

"…Right. Thanks for the sentiment," Naesala said, making a mental note to make himself scarce should he be warned of Nealuchi's arrival beforehand.

The older raven smiled in an ominous fashion that the younger raven did_not_ like at all, and practically skipped out, which was also rather freaky.

Naesala wondered why his mentor was suddenly developing a tendency of mood swings, then decided he was done thinking about the older raven, and ready to take a bit of a nap. Even if he hadn't received any real damage from the fight, it had tired him out considerably, despite the abnormal amount of sleep he had had for the past two days.

He leaned back, closing his eyes, but was a little surprised to find that his pillow was harder than he had expected. Blinking, the raven reached beneath it and pulled out the orange-covered novel.

For a moment, he couldn't quite remember how it had come into his possession.

And then he did remember, and also realised that Tibarn, the one who had brought it, had not come to visit him for the entire day.

* * *

Oh, I guess I do have some Author's Notes, or something to that effect.

Sorry about the introduction of OC's, but they will be necessary, later on. I hope they weren't too irritating though. Any opinions on them?

The writing in this chapter may be inconsistent, since I was reading a parody of POR about half-way through, and then a serious AU-ish Naruto fic near the end. Is it obvious?

Um. Anything else? I'll probably think of something after posting this. XD Oh- This is the longest chapter yet… It's almost nine and a half pages long! Yay.

So… Constructive criticism? Suggestions-slash-ideas? Any reviews are appreciated. Thanks.

And I just thought I'd rant a bit about my English teacher. Cuz I'm really mad. I wrote this essay on the Outsiders, which I (surprisingly) put a lot of time and effort into, and it was a lot longer than we were required to have it. On the _very_ first page, she told me I used too many paragraphs, because it was just the opening paragraph. Well, I'm sorry but I do recall her telling us that paragraphs only focused on one idea. (Because apparently a ninth grade class wouldn't _know_ that already. But whatever.) Anyway, who cares how many stupid paragraphs I used? It _made sense_, just not to her. Anyway, she wrote a couple of other comments and such, but was there _any_ sort of grammar or spelling error? No. And what did I get for all my effort and crap? A measly 85 percent. I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't put any more effort in for school than is strictly required, since I end up without anything to show for it in the end.

...Yes. The Actual End. Of this chapter, that is.


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